Mulcher
The Mulcher is a heavy, hand-cranked, rotary gatling gun developed by the Coalition of Ordered Governments. However, like most COG weapons, it soon found its way into the hands of the Locust and the Swarm, more specifically, the Locust Grinder and Heavy Scions. It's a scaled down version of the Chain Gun, and the smaller brother of the Vulcan Cannon. A stripped-down version of the Mulcher was mounted on the Silverback's machine gun arm. As the crank is removed, it may be electrically cycled. Background Developed as one of the three rotary gatling guns developed by the COG, including the Chain gun and Vulcan Cannon, the Mulcher is a heavy machine-gun that is functionally a scaled-down version of the Chain Gun. The Mulcher operates in much the same way as its larger cousin, except for the fact that it cuts down a lot of the components and uses a series of modifications to make the design smaller and lighter. It uses a slightly smaller-caliber round, similar to that fired by the Lancer, has 3 barrels instead of the 6 featured on the chaingun and, most notably, is mobile. It also makes use of a crank system to cycle the action and fire rounds (as opposed to the electrically-cycled action of the Chain Gun, but this system may have been re-instated for the version mounted on the Silverback). It also has an internal, 500 round capacity magazine. Designed for squad-level fire support, the Mulcher possesses phenomenal firepower and a fire rate fast enough to keep an entire platoon pinned down. For refined firing, the user can deploy the Mulcher's base, turning it into a mobile turret with a 180° field of fire. Fire from the Mulcher can prove dangerous to much larger Locust creatures such as Boomers and Reavers, including Swarm Scions. Concentrated fire can potentially suppress a Brumak only if aimed at the right target areas. Also, it shreds enemies to pieces at approximately close range, just like the Gnasher Shotgun. Somehow, like many COG-branded firearms, Mulchers eventually fell into the hands of both Locust and the Swarm as it became the primary weapon of the Grinders and Heavy Scions. Often working in pairs, both Grinders and Heavy Scions use the weapon to rotate the crank and fire at will to suppress against COG soldiers until it overheats. Tactical Use The Mulcher is heavy (only the Mortar weighs more) and because of the weapon's sheer mass you cannot roadie run when using a Mulcher. Similarly, your turn speed and movement are extremely reduced. You can, however, duck into cover, so take advantage of this fact. Foes will actively target a player carrying a Mulcher, intending to take advantage of the wielder's reduced mobility - so bear this in mind. To compensate for the loss of mobility; the Mulcher is, as its name implies, a vicious beast of a weapon in spite of its drawbacks, and one that excels at spraying out lots of damage in a very short time. It can be used in 3 distinct ways, depending on where it is employed. If fired from the hip, the Mulcher is woefully inaccurate, but sprays down so much ammunition over such a wide pattern that the accuracy loss is almost a moot point unless fired at medium to long range. Thus, the Mulcher is frightfully effective in close combat, despite being such a heavy weapon. If aimed (i.e. with the left trigger), you can deploy the Mulcher's base and use it as a pseudo-emplacement weapon. This refines its long range accuracy considerably, and gives it the ability to shred multiple enemies with ease. It does, however, immobilize you to use the Mulcher in this fashion, so doing so can be extremely risky if enemies in the area are packing Longshots, Boomshots, or Torque Bows. This method is also used if you fire it from cover near an edge; you'll pop out and set the turret up. If aimed in this fashion, however, you'll pop back into cover when the trigger is released. If you notice enemies are close to you, and you don't have time to turn and aim at them due to the slow movement speed with the Mulcher, you can quickly switch to another weapon and try and jump to the side, hopefully evading some attacks and having a chance to get away. If fired from low cover (the kind you normally shoot over when aiming), the Mulcher is a considerably more vicious weapon, as it can be deployed atop a piece of terrain - such as a concrete road divider, low wall, or even the hood of a car or truck - and turn it into a makeshift machinegun emplacement. Once deployed, the Mulcher has frightening accuracy (as it always does when aimed), and its sheer rate of fire lets it easily deal with enemies foolish enough to be out in the open, and the user can easily get in cover should they begin to draw too much fire. This is also the only way to gain the achievement "Organ Grinder", where the player must kill 30 enemies with the Mulcher in this fashion. Note that because the Mulcher is generally more effective if fired from cover, you can achieve significantly better results by getting up higher, thus allowing you a wider field of view. Of particular note are the large balconies on maps like Day One, and similar areas with good visibility. If possible, employ the Mulcher from a similar vantage point, or in tunnel fight scenarios, where the weapon is at its most potent. Indoors, it can often be effective to fire the Mulcher from the hip in spite of its inaccuracy, as the massive amount of fire will make mincemeat of any foe trying to advance to close range. Note that like the Chain Gun, the Mulcher has a tendency to overheat, and will lock up if it does. Fortunately, like its big brother, the Mulcher has a built-in water-cooling system that can flush the weapon with coolant in order to bring it down to safe levels (which is done by hitting the right bumper button). Unlike the Chain Gun, the Mulcher has no clutch, so it does not completely stop spinning for several seconds after the trigger is released. Because of this, it's possible for a canny wielder to fire for a prolonged period; release the trigger, rapidly flush the system 2-3 times, and resume fire after missing only a half-second or so of firing time. When fired on fully automatic, the Mulcher can fire roughly 100 rounds before overheating (more if the operator uses the method mentioned above). Paired with the weapon's deadly accuracy and ability to shred a foe to pieces with just a few hits, this means that the Mulcher can chomp through tightly packed groups of enemies very quickly. Multiplayer Gears of War 2 It is advisable for any players who utilize the Mulcher to lead the frontline for the team. If the team comes across hostile attacks, the Mulcher wielder can cover his/her team immediately as they move to cover. The wielder is then able to provide suppressive fire in order to give his/her team a chance to flank the enemy. If any hostiles try to escape, the Mulcher will be able to eviscerate them in seconds, effectively keeping opponents behind cover. Gears of War 3 In Gears of War 3, the player now has the ability to fire the weapon without deploying it behind cover. This is useful in Horde when attacking enemies are surrounding you. Although this tactic is not very useful against other players as it is highly inaccurate. The execution consists of pinning the enemy down with the Mulcher and slamming it on his/her spine, then smashing his/her face with the knee. It is unlocked after 40 kills with it, and is available in the Single player campaign. Behind the scenes *When using the Mulcher or Mortar when hitting levers or switches, the player begins to hit the switch, pulls back, and the lever flips on its own. *On the side of the gun, in front of the crank, is the COG Crimson Omen insignia. *Very similar to the M134 Minigun. Appearances *''Gears of War: Judgment'' *''RAAM's Shadow'' *''Gears of War 2'' *''Gears of War 3'' *''Gears of War 4'' *''Gears 5'' References Category:Weapons Category:Weapons of the Coalition of Ordered Governments Category:Weapons of the Locust Horde Category:Gears of War 2 weapons Category:Gears of War 3 weapons Category:Gears of War: Judgment weapons Category:Gears of War 4 weapons Category:Gears 5 weapons